Suzanne Nicholas and Donny Frate share six children, one St. Helena home with a porch overlooking the Spottswoode vineyards, and daily diaper-changing duties, but they have no intention of getting married.
“For me, I don’t feel like I need the approval of society or government to be with the woman I want to be with,” Frate said, rubbing the knee of the woman he’s lived with for two years. “This is our commitment to each other.”
On the couch, three of their children from previous marriages watch “The Karate Kid, Part II” and eat pizza slices on wooden boards. Their 8-month-old Skylar, the one child they share biologically, attempts to crawl for the first time across their immaculate white carpet....